TRIO JAILED AS COPS FIND 1,740 POUNDS OF POT ON BOAT

Three Utah men were in federal jail downtown after their arrest Sunday,
when 1,740 pounds of marijuana was discovered hidden in their fishing boat
at Shelter Island.

The trio, ages 30, 25 and 22, came from Provo and Orem, Utah, according to
the U.S. Customs Service. Customs officials said it was unclear when the
men would be arraigned or what charges they would face, and a jail
spokesman said he could not determine that information from jail records.

The boat, a 22-foot Four Winds sport-fishing boat, had run out of gas early
Sunday, a few miles offshore and just north of the U.S.-Mexican border,
according to a news release issued by Customs Service spokesman Vince Bond.

After the men radioed for help, the boat was towed to the Harbor Police
dock on Shelter Island about 2 a.m. The men told officers they had run out
of fuel.

Bond said Customs officials wondered why such a small fishing vessel would
be operating so early in the morning and asked Harbor Police to detain it.
The vessel was then inspected and seized at 2:30 a.m., when agents
discovered that it had a false top deck built over the hidden stash of
marijuana, valued at about $783,000. Also seized were a green truck and
trailer that was prepared to haul out the vessel.